Nara Luling's Little Thoughts

Yagura was currently inside the Kamui dimension, keeping his eyes tightly shut in sheer boredom, trying to pass the time in that manner.

In this sunless, lightless space, Yagura could not distinguish day from night, and every second spent here was a torment. Having been trapped here for several days, Yagura felt as if he were on the verge of losing his mind.

However, at that very moment, an alluring aroma suddenly drifted into Yagura's nostrils.

Yagura, who had been resting with his eyes closed, instantly perked up as if he had been injected with adrenaline. He bolted upright from the ground and quickly cast his gaze around.

The first thing that met his eyes was a courtyard as beautiful as a painting. Immediately after, Yagura saw Shi Xiu, Minato, and the others.

When his gaze fell upon Minato, Yagura was struck as if by lightning; his eyes widened, his face filled with shock.

Yagura stared at Minato in disbelief, his mouth hanging wide open. It was a long while before he stammered, "Y-Yellow Flash! You... aren't you already dead?"

As it turned out, while trapped in the Kamui dimension, Yagura had asked Isobu about the various events that had occurred in the outside world during the time he was being controlled.

Isobu had told Yagura what he had heard, and one of those things was the rumor from the outside world that the Fourth Hokage of Konoha Village, the Yellow Flash, had unfortunately sacrificed himself.

At this moment, Minato was also watching Yagura, asking softly, "Are you the Fourth Mizukage?"

Hearing Minato's question, Yagura was slightly stunned at first, then slowly nodded.

After the initial shock, he quickly realized that he was now in a position of being under someone else's roof, so he suppressed the many questions in his heart and did not dare to ask them rashly.

Shi Xiu waved at Yagura and called out, "Yagura, come over and have some hot pot with us!"

Hearing the call, Yagura was slightly taken aback. His gaze first fell on Shi Xiu, then quickly shifted to Minato at the side, moving back and forth between the two as if he were hesitant.

However, the wafts of alluring hot pot aroma that kept drifting over seemed to possess an irresistible magic, and in the end, Yagura let go of his reservations.

Yagura took slow, measured steps, walking toward the wooden table where the bronze pot was placed.

At this moment, a steaming Mandarin Duck Pot was sitting steadily on the wooden table in the center of the courtyard.

A vigorous charcoal fire burned beneath the pot, causing the broth inside to bubble and churn incessantly, emitting an irresistible, rich fragrance.

Around the Mandarin Duck Pot were various colorful ingredients: fresh vegetables that looked as if they were dripping with dew, and tender slices of meat with distinct, pink textures.

The aromas emitted by these ingredients intertwined, permeating the entire courtyard, making one's mouth water and leaving one desperate to dig in immediately.

Yagura finally reached the table and reached out with both hands to carefully take the bowl and chopsticks handed to him by Shi Xiu.

By now, the others sitting at the table could no longer suppress their eagerness; they impatiently wielded their chopsticks, quickly picking up slices of tender meat and dropping them into the boiling pot.

Before long, they skillfully fished the cooked meat from the pot, popped it into their mouths, and chewed heartily, their faces filled with satisfaction.

Seeing everyone eating with such relish, Yagura could not help but be influenced.

Thus, following the example of the others, Yagura picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a slice of meat that looked particularly tempting, and slowly placed it into the boiling pot.

Yagura stared intently at the meat as it tumbled up and down in the pot, patiently waiting for it to cook.

After a short while, Yagura felt enough time had passed. He raised his chopsticks again, fished out the thoroughly cooked meat, blew on it gently, and then put it into his mouth without hesitation.

But the moment Yagura put the meat into his mouth, a powerful spiciness struck his brain like a bolt of lightning.

Caught off guard, Yagura felt as if his entire mouth had been set on fire.

The searing pain forced him to open his mouth involuntarily, panting "hiss-ha, hiss-ha" while frantically fanning his mouth with his hand in an attempt to alleviate the burning sensation.

Choked by the sudden spiciness, Yagura's face turned bright red. He scrambled to lower his head, his eyes scanning the surroundings in a panic, searching for a source of water to quench the heat.

Seeing this, Shi Xiu could not help but chuckle. He slowly stood up, walked to the side of the table, picked up a kettle, and gently poured a cup of water for Yagura, handing it to him.

"Here, drink some water to calm your nerves. This side is the spicy pot; the flavor is quite intense. The other side is the Tomato Hot Pot, which is relatively much milder. If you really can't handle this level of spice, you might want to try the Tomato Hot Pot," Shi Xiu kindly reminded him.

Yagura nodded gratefully, took the cup, and downed it impatiently, trying to make the fiery sensation fade from his throat.

However, despite drinking plenty of water, the intense spiciness seemed to stubbornly linger in his mouth, making it difficult for him to recover immediately.

After a long while, Yagura finally felt slightly better and was able to pick up his chopsticks again.

Just then, Minato, who had been sitting quietly to the side, inadvertently cast his gaze toward an inconspicuous box in the corner.

Minato raised his head slightly, pointed at the box with his finger, and asked Shi Xiu with a face full of confusion, "Lord Shi Xiu, what is inside that box over there?"

Shi Xiu, who was busy burying his head in the food, heard Minato's question. He first slowly raised his head, glanced at the box nonchalantly in the direction Minato was pointing, and then responded casually.

"Oh, there's nothing special in there, just some hot pot base and a few bottles of wine." After saying this, Shi Xiu lowered his head again, focusing on the food in front of him.

Minato nodded thoughtfully after hearing Shi Xiu's answer, indicating that he understood what was in the box.

In fact, Minato himself did not have much interest in drinking.

Since that was the case, Minato stopped dwelling on the box and its contents, quickly shifting his attention back to the steaming, fragrant hot pot in front of him.

But when Nara Luling heard there was wine, an extremely bold idea ignited in her heart like a prairie fire.

Once this thought sprouted, it grew like wild grass in spring, spreading at an astonishing speed with increasing intensity, leaving Nara Luling completely unable to curb it.

Nara Luling narrowed her eyes slightly, feigning a casual demeanor, and suggested to Shi Xiu with hidden motives.

"Lord Shi Xiu, it's so lively right now; why don't we have some wine to liven up the atmosphere?" As she said this, Nara Luling's eyes flickered as she looked at Shi Xiu.

However, how could Shi Xiu fail to see the little schemes in Nara Luling's heart? He slowly raised his head and cast his gaze toward her, his eyes revealing a wisdom that saw through everything.

Facing Nara Luling's suggestion, Shi Xiu did not hesitate in the slightest, flatly refusing, "Drinking while eating hot pot is bad for your health. So don't even think about it."

Nara Luling had never expected Shi Xiu to reject her suggestion so mercilessly.

Nara Luling could not help but feel a bit dejected, her mouth pouting involuntarily.